


A Spark Of Hope

by FenMaera



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fen'Harel - Freeform, Fluff, Modern Girl in Thedas, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Build, Time Travel, Trespasser Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-31
Updated: 2016-02-11
Packaged: 2018-05-17 08:02:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 20,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5860741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FenMaera/pseuds/FenMaera
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Waking up in another world is weird enough, but what if you somehow woke up in your favorite video game? Insert Kara Virmani, a huge dragon age fan who somehow ends up in the middle of one of the biggest points in thedas history, with an egg at her back and the mark on her hand she's ready to tackle the world.....almost.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Well....This was unexpected.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Fanfiction in any fandom ever, so the writing isn't that good as i'm not too experienced but i hope you like it <3
> 
> Bold italics are dreams and or visions  
> Italics are thoughts or someone speaking elven
> 
> Thanks to my beta: thehidden1 - http://the-hidden-1.tumblr.com/ she's an awesome fluff ball so go give her some love :3
> 
> Anyway, i would also like to say that this will be following canon closely but it will curve off at points and then back again.

It's one thing to dream about fantasy worlds, but to actually be in one is a whole other story. Waking up chained to the ground was not the way I imagined my day starting out. But weirder things have happened, like that one time my friend's cat coughed up half a mouse leg…. Well, actually I take that back, this is the weirdest thing to happen to me, ever.

 

Okay, let's take a step back here, I'm getting ahead of myself. My name is Kara Virmani, and I'm obsessed with Dragon Age Inquisition. I have probably completed it more times than I can count, and most times I'll have played a female elven mage to romance Solas, only to have my heart shattered again and again.

 

You may as well get to know me a bit before this tale hits the road because this is going to be a long one. I'm probably one of the most stubborn people you will ever meet, right down to the bone. I dislike talking or being around people as I have huge social anxiety issues going on, and on top of that a naturally shy person. My parents died when I was 7. It's just been me and my baby sister ever since. Being 3 years younger than me, it was difficult to bring her up, but I managed. I’m not going to give you the whole long sappy story, because we've all heard enough of them.

 

Video games quickly became an escape from everyday life for me just as it had so many others. I was under no illusion that I was the only one who had problems, and that I needed help but sometimes it felt like the world just didn't care. As such I immersed myself into worlds where I actually felt like I was worth more than a sack of potatoes.

 

This particular day started off as absolutely normal. I sat in the living room of my studio apartment reading a book. It was one I had picked up on sale at my favourite book store. I read for hours until lunch time surfaced and I got up to poke around in the kitchen, as usual there was next to nothing I was up for eating which was usually the case when it came to eating food in general, I wasn't a picky eater but my mood for food was something that greatly varied depending on the day.

 

After lunch, I sat down at my computer to start yet another playthrough of Dragon Age Inquisition. My love for that game was an endless ocean and I was always drowning in it. I loved reading fan theories and headcanons on tumblr but my most favourite thing? Fanfiction.

 

I had a huge weakness for Modern Girl In Thedas Solavellan fanfic's. It was getting out of hand really. I would refresh the AO3 tag at least 10 times in 2 hours to see if anything updated or if anything new popped up. I just loved the whole idea of a modern girl like me, your everyday person suddenly being thrown into their fave fantasy world. It just appealed to me on so many levels.

 

After several hours (it was 8pm, missed dinner as usual) playing Dragon Age I stood up and stretched out like a cat. I trailed back to the kitchen and whipped up something to eat and sat down in front of my tv to watch one of my favourite tv show's. If I had to ever pick which world to land in, it would be between Supernatural or Dragon Age. I was such a sucker for a good tv show like Supernatural or a video game like the Dragon Age or Mass Effect series.

 

After having watched the latest episode I had recorded, I trailed into my room at a snail pace and picked up my phone off my desk. I phoned my sister Lucy, to check up on her. Her final exams were coming up, and I wanted to make sure she was studying enough. I hadn't even realized I had fallen asleep on my bed until I was yanked into wakefulness in a world I had come to love so much over the last year.

 

 

 

 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

I really wasn't expecting to wake up in a video game that's for sure. I opened my eyes to a room I had seen countless times before, and at first I thought it was a dream. A very lucid one at that, but no dream could ever replicate the feeling this gave off. It felt solid and real and there. How I got here was a whole line of thinking that I would rather not walk down right now. Not until I had a better footing under me. Looking around the dungeon it felt more alive than in the game. Dark and suffocating is the best way I could explain it. I noticed a few boxes were to the left of me in the corner, while 5 armed guards stood around me pointing their swords at me. How I could have missed them at first glance was beyond me.

 

The air it's self felt tingly making the hair's on my arms stand up. It was as if it was a living, breathing thing. My eyesight surprised me a lot. I didn't have the best vision before and I had to wear glasses, but now everything appeared to be so much sharper and alive.

 

The clank of metal boots could be heard just outside the door and suddenly with force it swung open. _‘Damn, if she swung that any more violently there'd be no door left.’_ I absently thought as the guard's sheathed their swords and a figure stalked towards me with purpose. As soon as the figure came into focus I could tell it was Cassandra. She was much more terrifying in person. I could almost feel her presence wrapping around my neck getting ready to strangle me. She appeared to be taller than in the game which came as no surprise and her eyes bore into me like she could see into my soul. It was a little nerve-racking, and I felt a shiver go straight up my spine.

 

“Tell me why we shouldn't kill you now? The conclave is destroyed, everyone who attended is dead.” She stalked around me like a lion hunting it's prey. “Except for you!”

 

Staring at her I scrunched up my eyebrows. “What do you mean everyone's dead?” Trying to play the part as the one who didn’t have a clue was a little more difficult than expected. Typical that you always forget the script when you need it.

 

My left arm was swiftly grabbed and brought up to eye level. There sat an ominous glowing green scar embedded into the palm of my hand but I didn't want to think about it too much. I was going to rip that bald egg a new one.

 

“Explain this!”

 

“I.. I can't! I don't know what that is or how it even got onto my hand!” Hastily pulling my arm back down as the mark flickered, I scrunched my hand into a tight fist waiting for the slight twinge of pain to pass.

 

“You're lying!” She suddenly shouted, making me flinch back as she was right in my face now. This was one experience I didn't want to repeat.

 

Leliana came out of the shadows, putting a hand on Cassandra's shoulder “We need her.”

 

Turning away, Cassandra made a noise of disgust, just as Leliana stepped forward. “Do you remember what happened? Before this?”

 

“I remember….running… things were chasing me and then...a woman?” Looking up to Leliana like a good confused main character. Leliana's differences were quite noticeable to say the least. Her cheeks were more rounded and her eyes even more fierce than Cassandra's were, it felt as if she was ripping a path straight to the truth and there was nothing I could do to stop her. She was a little shorter that Cassandra and her hair was a bit longer than in the game, she had it braided so it was hanging over her shoulder slightly and I have to say it really did suit her.

 

“A woman?”

 

“She reached out to me but...I'm sorry… that's all I can remember.” Shaking my head slightly, it was weird, even though I was reciting from memory I could actually remember what I had just told Leliana. I saw Cassandra and Leliana huddle near the door for a moment. Blocking them out, I tried to think. _'Okay...breathe….how in the world did I get here? I mean there's so many possibilities but they're endless. Maybe I should ask Solas?… No I can't let anyone know about this. Letting them know could change things for better or for worse. I won’t take that risk.'_

 

I was suddenly ripped out of my thoughts by Cassandra who approached me and knelt down in front of me, bringing out a key and unlocking my bindings only to replace them with tightly wrapped rope. It was nice to be out of the bulk of the restraints at least. She hooked one hand under my right arm and dragged me up to stand. I was a little wobbly at first as I was most likely sitting there for a while thus my legs have turned to jelly. I really wasn't looking forward to the next little while as the weapon I'd be using would be determined and I'd meet Solas for the first time. Ugh, that's one conversation I'm really not looking forward to.

 

Cassandra led me out of the prison and into a long hallway. The walls were stone just like the prison which was really no surprise, as the whole building was made out of stone. Cassandra dragged me right to the end of the passage where a set of stairs to the left led up to a door. It took us into the main Chantry but I didn't have much time to look around as the huge doors were swung open and I was shoved through them. The sudden brightness hurt my eyes. I had to raise my arms to shield them and I was pretty sure I knew where that huge light source was coming from.

 

I looked to the left and it suddenly felt like a boulder was dropped into my stomach. I felt severely unnerved by the sight and feeling that the breach was giving off. It felt almost slimy and made me feel sick, I really didn't like it.

 

“We call it the breach.” Cass looked over her shoulder at me and motioned me to stand next to her. I sure wasn't going to go against her right now, at least not at this early stage. I’m sure we would butt head's eventually. “It is a massive rift into the world of demons that grows larger with every passing hour. It's not the only such rift but it is the largest. All were caused by the explosion at the conclave.”

 

“Wait, you're saying an explosion did that? Is that even possible?”

 

“This one did, if we do not seal it soon it could swallow the world at the rate it is expanding”

 

There was a sudden pulse from the breach, it felt like my hand was both on fire and someone was repeatedly stabbing a dagger into it. Not the nicest of feelings that's for sure. I scrunched up my eyes and gritted my teeth at the feeling. This wasn't going to be a walk in the park. I hadn't realized that I was on my knees until I opened my eyes and Cass was crouched down in front of me staring into my eyes.

 

“Each time the breach expands so does the mark on your hand… and it is killing you.” She had some form of pity in her eyes which made me feel like she wasn't a total wall at this point. It was nice to see the familiar Cass, even if it was just cracks of it. “It may be the key to stopping all this, but there isn't much time. The longer we wait the more the breach will expand.” There was hope in her voice but also her words were rushed, and to be honest I really didn't feel like dying to this stupid mark.

 

“If there's a way to stop this then count me in.” Even if this was a really vivid dream, it wouldn't feel right to just let these people suffer from the breach. I was going to do everything in my power to stop this. I may be stubborn and sometimes I can be insensitive but most of the time I really do care about people, as much as I dislike being around them.

 

“Then you…. You'll help us?”

 

“Yes.”

 

A slight smile spread across her face as she helped me to stand. She turned around and begun to walk towards the gates. Haven looked so much bigger than on the screen. There was a depth to this place that just couldn't be captured by the game. The air around here felt light but there was also this dark undertone surrounding everything which I assumed was caused by the breach. I followed Cass slowly making sure not to make eye contact with the people around us. It made me nervous when people looked into my eyes.

 

“They have decided your guilt and they need it. They mourn The Most Holy Divine Justinia, Head of the Chantry and the Conclave. It was her's. Peace talks to try and bring Thedas back together once again.” There was a hint of sadness in her voice, and I could understand why. “She brought the mage and templar leaders together and now they are all dead.”

 

We had reached the bridge that crosses over the lake, I couldn't help but look around. The game did not do the scale and beauty of this place justice at all. We stopped as we just passed the first set of gates. Cass turned around and looked at me again pulling a dagger from the back of her belt that was hidden by her shield. Grabbing my arms she pulled them forward slightly and cut the rope.

 

“After this? I can promise a fair trial and no more.”

 

I sighed and wriggled my wrist's around a little, I had noticed people looking at my ears so I subtly reached up to tuck a hair behind my ear feeling the point that was distinctly an elf's. _'Holy shit, I’m an elf?! I probably have vallaslin too. I wonder which one's it will be.'_ I shook my hand's again as having them tied or chained constantly made them hurt a little and that's not counting the pain from the mark. It had died down to a dull throbbing feeling which while uncomfortable was much more preferable to the stabbing feeling I had earlier.

 

“What exactly happened?”

 

“They say you walked out of a rift…. And then fell unconscious. They say there was a woman behind you. Some believe that it was Andraste.”

 

Unfortunately, I knew where this was going. We walked along the path and I was so thankful that the wood was there. I was practically clinging to the right of the path. We got half way along the path before my mark flared up again. That was going to take some getting used to. It kept reminding me that if this was a dream, pain would not feel this real and alive. I found myself on the dirt path but a really snowy part so it was very cold. I just now noticed that I wasn't even wearing the armor that you start in.

 

I was wearing a very thin long sleeved t-shirt and very loose fitting jeans with a belt and my little black boots. It was one of my favourite outfits to wear and I was now just noticing the cold setting in. Cass looked down at me and held her hand out to me, which I promptly grabbed.

 

“The pulses are coming faster now, we should hurry up.”

 

I wiped the dirt off my jeans and shook my hand trying to rid it of the numb feeling that was setting in, the pain from the mark flaring up appeared to be muting my nerve endings causing it to feel numb which while I was thankful for it really couldn't be good. We made it halfway across the second bridge when I remembered the explosion, but it was too late as the next second I felt the rumble and break of the stone beneath my feet then falling. Cass landed as gracefully as a warrior could in bulky armor but I wasn't so lucky. I landed on my back and had the wind knocked out of me.

 

“Stay behind me!”

 

There was a bubble of green on the ground in front of us and as I rolled onto my stomach to raise myself onto my elbows I saw a demon rise from it and I shivered. Just as I started to stand up another of the green blast's hit the ice in front of me and I frantically looked behind me for a weapon. I didn't know what to expect but it certainly wasn't a staff I expected to see poking out from underneath the rubble. I slid over to it and grabbed it, holding it awkwardly in front of me hoping that at least it would shield me from the incoming attack. The demon rose from the green and black bubbles and stalked towards me. The closer it got the more scared I became. I had never hurt a fly, never mind having ever fought anything remotely this size. I had no combat experience and let alone knew how to cast a spell.

 

The demon swung at me, it's claws digging through the staff leaving behind hideous claw marks. I had been backed into the corner under the bridge. _'Death by demon, not the nicest way, but better than this damn mark killing me I suppose.'_ Just as I had made my peace with death, a sword pierced through the demon's stomach and the scream that it made would haunt me for a long time yet. It was high pitched and it almost sounded muffled as if it was in water but not quite. It crumpled to the ground and I let out a breath I hadn't even realized I was holding in, lowering the staff I looked at Cass, who suddenly had the sharp end of her sword pointed at me.

 

“Drop. Your. Weapon. Now.”

 

“You can't be serious right?” I looked baffled from her to the staff and back again. “I just picked it up to shield myself from the attack!” Feeling a little defensive all of a sudden my voice raised to match the anger that was bubbling in my chest.

 

Cass sighed and lowered her sword, placing it back into the sheath on her back, and sighing. “Keep it, I cannot protect you the entire time. Although why you did not cast a spell is beyond me.”

 

The surprise must have shown on my face because her eyebrows scrunched up. “You mean like… magic? I assure you I'm no mage.” Shaking my head I held the staff awkwardly in front of me. _'I couldn't be a mage could I? Is that even possible??'_

 

Shaking her head Cass turned around and shrugged her shoulders. “Come, we still have a little ways to go, also you may need those.” She pointed to a dead body where a pouch sat, picking it up I peeked inside it held 3 red vials and 2 blue ones that I assumed to be elfroot potions and lyrium potions. I tied the pouch to my belt for now, it would have to do until I got a proper belt to hold this stuff. Sighing I followed Cass through the valley, we had to fend off quite a few demons on the way. Before I knew it we were nearing a set of stairs and from the front I heard Cass shouting over her shoulder.

 

“We are nearing the fighting! We must help them!”

 

“Wait, who's fighting??”

 

“You will see when we get there.” She had a slight frown on her face.

 

I was trying my hardest to stick to the script and so far it seemed okay, but I had a feeling things would derail very quickly once things got moving. I still couldn't believe I was here, I mean was it really possible to end up in another world?

 

In another world, another time…..a fantasy that shouldn't be real and yet.

 

We got to the top of the stairs and just ahead I could hear who I assumed was Varric and Solas. I was so not ready for this. Cass jumped off the wall and into the battle while I hung back, scanning the battle. I saw several soldiers go down and Varric with Bianca, hearing a shout from the left my eyes fell on Solas and… hoo boy.

 

Seeing him in person was something completely different than seeing him on a screen. The way he held himself in battle was so much more than in the game, the grace with which he moved was enthralling no game nor story could ever do him justice. He looked like he was in his element. Almost like he enjoyed the battle, and I would assume that maybe he did after having been asleep for so long it would probably be some form of exercise to him.

 

The last of the demon's fell and I hopped down landing not so gracefully but before I could recover my wrist was grabbed and I was all but dragged over to the rift and my hand shoved at the rift. As soon as the mark connected it felt as if something was trying to drag me in, like I had my head just above water with a whirlpool beneath me. There was a very strong tingling feeling, nothing like when the breach decided it would expand a little. It was more subtle almost soft but not quite. I heard the tell tale sign that the rift was about to close and with a snap I stumbled back a bit as a tiny shockwave hit me, looking at my hand and then to where the rift used to be…. It was weird to think I actually did that.

 

Looking over to Solas my mind failed me and all I could get out was a tiny breath of words.

 

“What did you do?”

 

“I did nothing, the credit is surely yours.” A slight smile tugging at his lips made me internally sigh, why did he have to be a beautiful egg who stole my heart and then crushed it… multiple times.

 

“But I...I couldn't have done that… It's not...”

 

Chuckling slightly and looking me in the eyes, it felt as if everything was slowing down. He was studying me. I could see it in his eyes and how he held himself. “You have a mark that happens to share the same magic as the breach. I theorised that it could maybe close the rifts, and it appears I was correct.”

 

Smug was the word I would use to describe him and he bloody well knew it too.

 

Taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out, I couldn’t help but stare at his eyes as they were such a beautiful stormy grey colour and I really wasn't one for looking at people's eyes but his were so hypnotic I couldn't help but stare. It was so strange to look him in the face. I never usually had dreams about video games so this was a whole new experience for me although part of me wanted to believe this was real. Solas silently tilted his head and stared at me. He had a tiny frown on his face, for what reason I couldn't say as he's a pretty hard person to read.

 

“Meaning it could also close the breach itself?” Cass asked, I could see her out the corner of my eye and she seemed to be a little more than eager to get the thing closed.

 

“Possibly. It seems you hold the key to our salvation.”

 

Honestly, that voice was the smoothest thing I had ever heard. It was like cold water on a hot summers day. I saw something shift out the corner of my eye and then a voice I could never mistake spoke up.

 

“And here I thought we'd be ass deep in demons forever.” Holstering his crossbow he approached the group. “Varric Tethras. Rogue, storyteller, and occasionally, unwelcome tagalong.” He smirked up at me and I smiled back.

 

“That's some fine looking crossbow on your back.”

 

“Ah, isn’t she? Bianca and I have been through a lot together.”

 

“You named your crossbow Bianca?” I replied with a slight bit of humor in my voice and a raised eyebrow.

 

“She'll be great company in the valley.”

 

Cass suddenly stood in front of me, getting in Varric's face. “Absolutely not! Your help is appreciated Varric but….”

 

“Have you been down there Seeker? Your soldiers aren't in control anymore, everything's a mess down there. You need me.”

 

Solas suddenly stepped into my view again grabbing my attention. “My name is Solas if there are to be introductions. I am pleased to see you still live.”

 

“He means 'I kept that mark from killing you while you slept.'”

 

“Ma serannas Solas. I appreciate it” I pondered for a few moments about my name, whether I should give my real name or not. Finally making my mind up I smiled a bit sheepishly and stared just to the left of his head. If he noticed me not making eye contact he didn’t give any hint. “My name is Telahn of Clan Fenmyelan, it's a pleasure to meet you all.” Bowing my head slightly, I saw a flicker of amusement in his eyes at my name.

 

“Do you realize that your clan name directly translates to ‘follower of the wolf’?” he asked, clearly finding it amusing and yet he had raw curiosity etched into his face.

 

“Yes, I am aware.” Short but sweet reply. I needed to avoid mentioning anything about my so called 'clan' as they didn't actually exist which if Leliana looked into it, and she would, I'd need to come up with a cover story for that and quickly. The only reason I used those names was the fact my latest Inquisitor was called Telahn and I pulled the clan name out of thin air, which may or may not dig me into a hole when the time comes.

 

“Cassandra you should know, the magic involved is unlike anything I have ever seen before. Your prisoner is a mage...but I find it hard to believe any mage has such power.”

 

“Understood, let us head into the valley.” Walking off she hopped over the wooden fence with Solas closely following, I heard Varric walk up next to me.

 

“Well, Bianca's excited!”

 

We took off down the hill into the valley. The path was a lot more narrow than in the game, so I found myself more than once, in close proximity to either Solas or Varric as the path was a bit windy and had sharp turns. Finally making it out to the bottom there was a tiny ice lake we had to cross and in the middle a crap ton of demons.

 

I held back as Solas, Varric and Cass went to fight. I couldn't get over seeing magic for the first time, as subtle as I was trying to be I’m pretty sure Solas noticed me watching him. Which I felt a little embarrassed about. There was a demon flanking Cass but before I could say a thing a bolt sent it stumbling away and zeroing in on Varric who quickly sent two more bolts through it, killing it.

 

After the last demon was dispatched I poked around the body's to see if they dropped anything but sadly there was nothing of value. The things kinda smelled like burnt flesh which is something I really didn’t want to smell ever again, although I knew I would have to come up against it again.

 

We moved to cross the frozen ice, which I quite ungracefully fell on several times. Cass suggested we search the cabins but the only thing's of use was some gold which I added to the tiny pouch on my belt. Just as we exited the cabin, Solas spoke up.

 

“You are Dalish, but clearly away from the rest of your clan. Did they send you here?”

 

I looked over my shoulder at him with a suspicious look on my face. “Not exactly, no..why do you ask?”

 

“I have wandered many roads in my time and I have crossed paths with your people on more than one occasion.”

 

Raising an eyebrow at his wording I turned fully towards him and crossed my arms. “What do you mean 'crossed paths'?”

 

“I mean that I offered to share knowledge, only to be attacked for no greater reason than their superstition.”

 

Sighing, I rubbed my palm across my forehead “Ir abelas Solas, I'm sorry if the Dalish have reacted to you with unnecessary violence.”

 

He was clearly not expecting that to be my reply as I saw a bit of surprise flick across his eyes, but he quickly schooled his features back to the blank indifferent mask he wore so well. “You are not like the rest of the Dalish I have met...it is refreshing...But come, let us not stand around any longer, the breach must be closed as soon as possible.” Heading towards the stairs, everyone else followed without complaint. It surprised me at how easily people fell into line behind him.

 

We were nearing another group of demons when Varric piped up out of nowhere. And I totally didn't flinch at the sudden voice…

 

“So… are you innocent?”

 

“I don't really remember what happened...”

 

“Hah, that'll get you every time…. Should have spun a story, Sparky.”

 

I raised my eyebrow at Varric. Apparently my nickname was already decided.

 

“That's what you would have done, Varric.” I could almost feel Cass glaring at him.

 

“It's more believable that way...less prone to premature execution.”

 

As we moved forward I swear I heard Solas chuckling behind us which put a smirk on my face. The next set of demons we came across were wiped out pretty quickly thanks to Solas casting a fire mine that wiped out 4 at once, and I admit I was really impressed although not at all surprised that he managed to pull it off. We moved forward up another set of stairs, why were there so many goddamn stairs??

 

Oh yeah, I forgot about this rift. Shit. Cass charged into the sudden battle, I found myself in the middle of, suddenly feeling as if a really warm blanket was wrapped around me I looked down to find a light shimmer was covering my entire body, I assumed this was a barrier which went up just in the nick of time as a demon swiped at me but the claws just bounced straight off, raising my left hand to the rift it begun to tug at me again, it didn't feel as bad as it did the first time which was nice. Seeing the rift go pop and snap in on itself sent a wave of relief over me. No more demons for the moment.

 

“Open the gates!” Cass shouted at the men who stood near them.

 

I watched them swing open as we stepped through onto yet another bridge, I clocked a potion box to my left just inside the gate, strolling over to the box I knelt down and grabbed a few more lyrium and elfroot potions. We sure were going to need them later. The rest of the group stocked up on potions too. Apparently Solas had already used a lyrium, and Cass had used 2 elfroot one.

 

Noticing an argument ahead of us I quickly realized it was Leliana and who I assumed to be Roderick. Oh boy, this was going to get nasty real quick. As I strode towards them I could hear the argument a little but before I got too close Roderick spoke up.

 

“Ah, here they come!”

 

Leliana stepped forward to greet us. “You made it, I'm glad you got through it all. Chancellor Roderick this is-”

 

“I know who she is, as Grand Chancellor of the chantry, I hereby command you to take this criminal to Val Royeaux to face execution immediately!”

 

I saw Cass tense up and I never thought to see the day when I heard one of the first hilarious moments in the game, in person.

 

“Order me? You are a glorified clerk, a bureaucrat!”

 

“And you are a thug! But one who supposedly serves the chantry!”

 

I tried to hold the snort in but from the glare Roderick sent my way I wasn't as subtle as I thought, still though. This still felt so unreal and yet so real, as if you were dreaming but awake at the same time, off putting was certainly one way to describe it.

 

Leliana looked down right offended at Roderick's words. “We serve the Most Holy, as you well know, chancellor.”

 

He suddenly threw up his arms and I flinched back. I hadn't even noticed that Solas had stood just in front of me. “Justinia is dead! We must elect a replacement and follow her orders on the matter!”

 

“You do realize I’m standing right here?” I asked cautiously, almost timidly. Did I mention I hated being around people? Because I was starting to feel nauseous with the amount of them around.

 

“Call a retreat seeker, Our position here is very much useless and pointless.”

 

“We can stop this before it is truly too late.”

 

“You won't survive long enough to get to the temple, even with all your soldiers.”

 

“We must get to the temple. We have to close the breach and this is the quickest route.” Cass sighed, I had already made my mind up which route we were taking.

 

Leliana put her hands on the table and looked over a map that was sitting there, one that I completely overlooked. “There is a safer route, a mountain pass. It will safer in the long run although a little bit longer.”

 

“But we lost contact with an entire squad on that path, it is too risky.”

 

“You do not know that Cassandra.”

 

Roderick sighed, fidgeting with his sleeves before he spoke up again. “Listen, abandon this now, before more lives are lost.”

 

Another pulse came from the rift, and holy shit was it unexpected. I bent over clutching at my wrist tears began to form at the edge of my eyes. I felt a hand on my shoulder and suddenly the pain was a lot more bearable. Looking up through blurry eyes and clenched teeth I saw the arm which connected to a very concerned looking bald egg.

 

Taking a deep shaky breath I slowly righted myself again. “I'm….I'm okay...”

 

“How do you think we should proceed, Telahn?”

 

“You're asking me? But I'm just….me.”

 

I felt Solas' breath ghost over my cheek as I tried to suppress a shiver. I forgot how close he was standing. “You have the mark.”

 

“And you are the one we must protect, since we cannot seem to agree on our own...”

 

Looking around from face to face, I had already made up my mind but I needed to make it out like I was thinking about it. I looked down and begun to fidget with my little pouch that was attached to my belt, standing there for a moment before I answered.

 

“The...The mountain path? I mean...maybe the soldiers are still there? Maybe we can save them?”

 

Striding up to Leliana she said something I couldn’t quite hear as we had moved ahead already. She quickly caught up and we made our way up the mountain. Heights….why did I have to pick the path that had all the damn height's.

 

We eventually came to a set of ladders, I gulped suddenly really nervous, what if I fell? That was a hell of a long way down. Varric patted me on the back as he passed, I must have shown hesitation as concern was clearly on his face. Solas came up to my left and looked at me for a few moments before he softly spoke. I would have never heard him if I didn't have such good hearing.

 

“Do not worry, if you fall, I will catch you. I promise.”

 

Somehow at those few words all my fears disappeared. How I could even trust him was beyond me but I couldn't help it even if I wanted to. The heart trusts what the heart trusts and mine's decided Solas was the best person to trust.

 

I started to climb the first set of ladders with Solas who followed closely behind me, after a good 5 minutes of me trying to get myself up the ladders I pretty much clung to the wall once I reached the top.

“I. Hate. Heights.” Taking in a few shaky breaths we moved our way into the temple, I hung back so as not to get in the way. We moved our way through what Cass told us was part of a mining operation. What they were mining for I have no idea. We reached the exit when Solas pulled me back behind the others a little. I turned to look at him but I couldn't quite make out his expression.

  


“Da'len, after we get through this, we need to teach you how to fight. I think it best that you learn some form of defence. It is always good to know in case you find yourself in battle.”

  


“If..we get through this.” I avoided eye contact with him for as long as possible but I caught his brow wrinkling. Turning around, I gently shook his hand off my arm and continued down along the path. Varric was giving me an odd look as I passed him as well, and I all but ignored it for the time being. We had to get to the temple as soon as possible. There was some conversation between Varric and Cass going on behind me and I assumed it was about the dead soldiers we just passed. But I knew the rest needed help with the rift and I subtly picked up the pace.

  


Turning a corner, we finally came across the missing soldiers, and I watched as everyone charged into battle. I stayed far enough away that the demons wouldn't attack me directly. After a few tense seconds of battle an opening to the rift showed itself. Dashing towards it, I all but skimmed a demon's claws, throwing up my hand and ignoring the sting coming from my right arm. After a few moments I felt the tug of the rift closing and stumbled back slightly with the aftershock. I needed to remember not to stand so close, those tiny shockwaves could direct me into something pointy if I wasn't careful. Looking around I saw piles of goop everywhere as one of the soldiers approached Cass.

 

I felt a wave of healing magic flow over my body and I looked over towards solas, nodding at him in thanks as I felt the tiny wound on my arm stitch up.

  


“Thank you for saving us, I don't think we could have held out much longer.”

  


“Do not thank me, thank the prisoner.”

  


Cass motioned towards me and I shifted about suddenly feeling very uncomfortable.

  


“Then you..?”

  


I glanced away, avoiding eye contact.

  


“It was nothing… really. I'm glad we could help.”

  


“The pass behind us is clear, you should go ahead while you still can.”  Cass pointed back in the direction we just came from and the scouts nodded and limped back in that direction.

  


Turning from where the rift used to be, I started off down the path again, wringing my hands a little. I was starting to get really nervous. We were going to go up against a pride demon after all. The irony of that being the big first fight in the game was not lost on me. I still couldn't believe I was here, in Thedas, with the freaking Dread Wolf walking next to me. That’s not something your average Dragon Age geek could say. And part of me was pretty damn happy about it, not gonna lie. Even though this is most likely just a dream, I had never had such a vivid dream before and I had a tendency to forget my dreams when I woke up.

  


Reaching another set of ladders, I swallowed my panic and pretty much crawled off the ledge onto the ladder, Solas going before me so that if I fell he could catch me. Did I mention that the fact I found being in Thedas really disconcerting? Even if this was a dream I was determined to see this through. Saving these people was the priority at the moment.

  


As soon as my feet hit solid ground I let out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding in. Varric quietly chucked into his gloved hand, trying to hide it but failing miserably. I glared at him without any real anger. We finally made it to the temple and boy did that take longer than I expected. The mark flared slightly, but it didn't really hurt. I covered my mouth and nose trying to abate the smell of burning flesh which was causing my stomach to turn, not to mention seeing all the bodies. They weren't frozen in poses of torment the way they were in the game, instead they lay scattered around the temple.

  


“That,” Cass said grabbing my attention and pointing to an area near the archway. “Is where you fell out of the fade. They say a woman was behind you… some believe it to have been Andraste herself.”

  


I sighed moving forward to the entrance, just inside there was a group of charred corpses huddled up which I quickly realized was a family. There were 2 adult figures and 3 smaller ones. “I think I’m gonna be sick.” I could feel the churning in my stomach and made to turn away, but stopped, feeling a hand rest on my back and the sudden spread of warmth I quickly realized it was Solas. “Th-thanks.” I wheezed out, even the spell hadn't smothered the sick feeling completely.

  


“We should get this over with quickly and get out of here.” There was concern written so clearly on his face. I was surprised he was showing this concern for me. Although even this could be a mask, another lie. I nodded and moved away from him, avoiding looking at the corpses around us.

  


I moved into the temple and stood at the stone wall and placed my hand's on top of it taking several deep breaths as I looked at the huge rift hovering high above us. “That's a long way up...”

  


“This rift was the first. If we close this, it may close the breach itself.” He scanned the surrounding area, probably looking for a way down.

  


Leliana came around the corner behind us, and looked at us all with relief in her eyes. “You're here. I hope the mountain pass wasn't too much trouble.”

  


Cass turned to her and sighed, rubbing her palm over her forehead “We ran into some demons but nothing we could not handle. Leliana have your men take up positions around the temple.”

  


Leliana signaled her men to do just that, as we moved forward through the temple I saw them running around and pulling out their weapons, preparing to fight. Saying this was going to be tough was an understatement, I pulled my staff out from where I had managed to loop it through my belt and held it in front of me.

  


“Now is the hour of our victory, bring forth the sacrifice.”

  


Looking around frantically for the source, Cass was ready to put a sword through whatever it was “What are we hearing??”

  


“At a guess? I would say the person who is responsible for the explosion.”

  


_'Of course you would say that Solas. You're the one who gave him your stupid orb in the first place.'_ Sighing, I kept walking down the path, and soon enough we came across red lyrium growing in ominous crystals from the ground. I gave that shit a wide berth almost attaching myself to the stone railings around the temple.

  


“You know this stuff is red lyrium Seeker?!”

  


“I see it, Varric.”

  


“But what's it doing here??”

  


“Magic could have drawn on the lyrium beneath the temple, warping it into what we see before us.” Solas always had to get his word in on anything magic related.

  


“Bah! It's evil! Whatever you do don't touch it!” Glaring at the lyrium as we passed it, I found it kind of amusing.

  


Cass raised an eyebrow at Varric’s antics, clearly amused herself. “Varric if you glare any harder you're going to shred that rock by just looking at it.”

  


“Yeah, that's kinda what I was hoping for.” He grouched, moving forward, taking the lead.

  


_**“Keep the sacrifice still!”** _

  


_**“Someone, help me!”** _

  


It was very unnerving to hear this. It was almost as if it was in my head but not quite. I really didn't like the feeling of it that's for sure.

  


“That was Divine Justinia's voice!” Cass suddenly took lead, determination etched into her face.

  


Finally we got to the floor directly below the rift, and it was even more ominous up close. I patted my pouch checking to see if the potions were still there, taking comfort in that small security. As we got closer a sudden pain shot through my head and a vision filled my eyes.

  


**_“Someone help me!”_ **

  


**_“Now is the time, Keep the sacrifice still.”_ **

  


**_“Please help!”_ **

  


**_“No one can save you now, you will die and my plans will be set into motion.”_ **

  


**_The giant doors swung open and there I stood, looking at the scene before me. “Divine Justinia??”_ **

  


**_“Help!” She tried to wrestle against the restraints she was in, some sort of magical shackles by the looks of it._ **

  


**_“Arg! How did you get in here?! Slay the elf!”_ **

  


Suddenly everything came back into view and Cass was bearing down on me quickly. I couldn’t help but back up a few steps at her anger. “You were there! Tell me, what happened to the Divine!”

  


“I don't remember! I swear!” A little panic rose in my throat, I wasn't used to having so much stress on me, I'm surprised I hadn't already cracked under the pressure. Solas took a step forward with his hands folded behind his back. He looked so much in his element it was almost scary.

  


“It is an echo, an imprint in the fade. The fade bleeds into the world here and thus results in what we just saw. It is a memory and nothing more.” He walked around a little and then turned to us. Cass had thankfully backed down at Solas' explanation. “The rift appears to be dormant but not completely closed. If we pry it open then we should be able to seal it properly.”

  


“That means demons! Get ready!” She rose her sword as I took a step towards the rift, my mark flaring again at the idea of being attached to another rift. I raised my hand and let the magic from the mark flow into the rift, it felt like ripping through very tough fabric with your fingers, but there's only like a slight hole in it for you to rip from. As soon as I felt the tell tale feeling of the rift caving I took a step back and suddenly there was a giant pride demon near me. I won't lie… I nearly shit myself when it popped out, even though I was expecting it.

  


It was a lot bigger than I thought it would be and that laugh had fear running straight through me. Solas pulled me back to a safe area putting a barrier over us and the group. I watched as Cass hacked away at the demon's legs, slowly wearing it down. Suddenly having a thought I tapped Solas' shoulder and waited till I had his attention.

  


“Cover me??”

  


“What?” He looked at me with confusion in his eyes.

  


“I'm going to try and disrupt the rift but I'm going to need you to cover me.”

  


He nodded and I felt the barrier being renewed, I took a run at the rift and raised my hand trying to disrupt it. The shockwave only seemed to affect the demon this time as it was knocked to it's knees and Cass all but climbed it like a tree to hack at it's neck. It quickly shook the effects of the rift off and threw Cass off his back, a ball of electricity aimed at her. Solas quickly putting a barrier over her, and started sending fire and ice its way.

  


We were there for what felt like over an hour. I was down to 1 elfroot potion and all the lyrium potions were used by Solas. Finally the demon went down, which was a huge relief and even if I hadn't done much I felt exhausted, but that was probably due to the amount of times I disrupted the rift while dodging around the fighting.

  


“Quickly! Seal it now!”

  


I all but threw my arm at the rift and tried to close it. It was a lot more resistant than the smaller ones and I felt that if I were a few pounds lighter it would have sucked me right in. After a few tense moments passed, the rift snapped shut very violently and a green energy ball went from the rift all the way up to the breach. The sound it made was hypnotizing but the wave knocked me off my feet and I landed on my back. My head hit a rock hard when I landed and everything instantly became blurry, the edges of my vision going black.

  


_'A goddamn rock...that's the reason I pass out for several days? Amazing.'_

  


The last thing I saw before passing out was a very concerned Cassandra and an unhappy Solas running towards me. I had a feeling that this was only going to get worse from here on out.

  


Well…..Shit.


	2. Missing Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to let everyone know that these chapters will get posted randomly, no schedule, which means that there could be a week or two between chapters and other times it could be days between them C:
> 
> \-------------------------------
> 
> Bold italics are dreams and or visions  
> Italics are thoughts or someone speaking elven
> 
> Thanks to my beta: thehidden1 - http://the-hidden-1.tumblr.com/ she's an awesome fluff ball so go give her some love :3
> 
> Anyway, i would also like to say that this will be following canon closely but it will curve off at points and then back again.

_Kara Virmani aka Telahn Fenmyelan - by me :3_

 

 

 

 

_**Well, there were worse places to wake up in than a dark empty space with no sound at all. I looked around, but not wanting to move, unsure of what was happening. A shadowy figure suddenly appeared ahead of me, and slowly stalked towards me.** _

 

“ _ **Hi?” I asked really timidly “Excuse me…. Where am I?”**_

 

_**The figure tilted its head to the side slightly. I couldn't make out any features, just the outline.** _

 

“ _ **The wolf is not the one you should fear, little spark.” It's voice sent a shiver straight down my spine. It was in front of me and yet all around me at once, echoing in my very being. It was very disturbing. I tried not to shift uncomfortably.**_

 

“ _ **What do you mean?”**_

 

“ _ **Time will reveal all, be careful little spark for your future is bleak.”**_

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

I woke with a start. What the hell was that dream about? I didn't have time to ponder though as a small figured elf walked into the room carrying a little box in her hands. She startled when she saw me and dropped the box, and fell to her knees bowing her head.

 

“My lady! I...I am sorry to intrude. I did not know you were awake!” She looked terrified at me for a second before lowering her eyes.

 

“Don't… please don't bow to me. Stand up?” Quietly, standing up I rubbed my hands across my face. I felt really awkward with her bowing, but I had a feeling that this wasn't going to be the last time it would happen.

 

“They say you closed the breach ma'am...You are in Haven. You've been asleep for days. Lady Cassandra requires your presence in the Chantry, she told me to tell you as soon as you awoke.”

 

“Thank you for letting me know.” I smiled at her as she stood up and practically ran out of the cabin, there wasn't much else I could have said to her. I picked up the box she dropped and looked through it. Inside was a tiny hand mirror, some soap, stuff that I assumed was shampoo and what looked like a toothbrush with some form of pasted version of elfroot. I placed the items on the desk in the corner and picked up the mirror looking at myself.

 

I still had my long bright orange hair and lyrium blue eyes. I loved my eye colour so much. It was such a vibrant blue. My high cheekbones were a little more defined and my cheeks a little more round. The pointy ears I had felt earlier stood out against my head. It was so weird to see them. I was an elf and I couldn't wrap my head around it. The most striking difference though had to be Mythal's vallaslin tattooed on my face. They were a very deep red colour and they stood out starkly on my fair skin.

 

I was so absorbed by looking at the differences on my face I hadn't heard the door to the cabin open until a voice spoke up making me drop the mirror. Luckily it didn't break. I whipped round to see Solas staring at me very curiously, holding a small pile of clothing in his hands.

 

“I thought you would appreciate these clothes over the one's you have been wearing. They are very...odd.” He patted the top of the clothing and sat them on the dresser at the bottom of the bed. “One of the servants was going to bring them by for you but I wanted to talk to you before you went to the Chantry.”

 

I picked up the clothes and looked through them. There was a very basic undershirt and a thin cotton jumper with a little flap like the one Solas had. At the bottom of the flap it had a little swirly threaded design in a golden yellow colour, with it came some greyish blue cotton pants and a brown belt, there was also a deep purple coat which on closer inspection looked like it had some metal plates on the bottom of it which I assumed was for protection. It had belt clips all the way down the coat until it hit the metal plates to hold it closed. There were also some basic gloves with metal plated cuffs and some metal shoulder and leg guards and to finish it off sat a pair of deep green foot wraps just like what Solas was wearing.

 

All in all it was a really nice outfit and I loved it instantly. “Thank you Solas, I can't wait to try it on.” I smiled slightly in his direction and quickly placed the clothes out on the bed, ready to put them on when Solas left the room.

 

His lips quirked up slightly, but he quickly smooth it down like he hoped it hadn’t been noticed. And you can bet your ass I noticed. He walked around the room a little bit before he stopped dead in the middle and looked up to stare me in the eyes. I couldn’t help but look away from his intense stare. “When I mentioned you had magic...you appeared to be surprised. Why is that?”

 

I sighed and shook my hands, clenching my fingers. I knew these things would come up from time to time. “I… I've never had magic before, let alone never cast a spell.” I shifted awkwardly as he tilted his head, studying me like I was a ball of mystery and in a way I guess I was. It's not every day a human turned elf falls out of a rift with a weird mark on their hand.

 

He sighed, shaking his head slightly. “I had thought your magic felt strange but now I understand why. It is newly manifested. Whether or not the breach was the cause of it or you just came into your magic late remains to be seen.”

 

Sitting down on the chair at the desk I stared out the window at pretty much nothing “Do you think… maybe you could teach me to use it?”

 

Putting his hand on his chin he nodded his head slowly. “It will take a lot of practice and dedication. Are you sure you are up for the task?”

 

“I need to be don't I? The breach isn't fully closed so chances are I'll have to do some fighting at some point… may as well not delay the inevitable.”

 

“Very well then, we can begin tomorrow. But come, I will wait outside and then show you to the chantry. Cassandra requires your presence there, best not delay her any further.”

 

I snorted lightly as he left the cabin. Once the door swung shut, I began to change into my new outfit. Once I was done I went over to the box and pulled out a leather cord and tied my hair into a ponytail. I seriously had to consider cutting it. It was getting too long to manage again.

 

After I was ready, I opened the door and stepped outside. I instantly attracted attention and couldn't help but shrink in on myself a little. Solas stepped in beside me and that made me feel infinitely more comfortable. I was reminded of when my little sister and I would take a morning walk through the park before it got busy. Suddenly feeling a twinge of pain in my gut at the memory, and my sister who was alone now, I shoved it back down. I wasn't going to lie, I missed her a lot even if she could be a pain in the ass sometimes.

 

We made it to the Chantry and Solas parted ways with me there, nodding and walking off towards his normal area. I pushed open the heavy door and finally got a good look at the inside of the Chantry. The ceiling looked really high up and I swallowed down the bile rising in my throat at the thought of being up there. It looked pretty much like it did in the game, surprisingly. The only real difference was the size of it. I’m pretty sure it was twice or maybe three times the size of the one in game. As I got closer to the door at the back of the Chantry I could hear arguing echoing through the stone. Cass and Roderick were going at each other like cats.

 

Shoving the door open to a frustrated Cassandra and a very angry Roderick, I internally sighed. This was going to be a pain.

 

“Chain her! I want her prepared for travel to the capitol for trial.”

 

“Disregard that and leave us.”

 

I watched the two guards at the door nod their heads and leave silently, closing the door behind them.

 

Roderick moved towards Cass threateningly with a scowl on his face.

 

_'Well.. this is going to be fun.'_

 

“You walk a dangerous line, Seeker.”

 

“The breach is stable, but it is still a threat. A threat that I will not ignore.”

 

I looked down at my hands as they became so much more interesting that the conversation going on. “I...I did what I could.”

 

“I know you did Telahn. I did not say that you didn't try.”

 

“You are still a suspect.”

 

“No, she absolutely is not.”

 

Leliana shuffled her feet slightly and took a few steps towards Roderick. “Someone had to have been behind the explosion at the conclave...Someone most holy did not expect, perhaps they died with the others, or have allies who yet live.”

 

_'Damn, down girl, if you put any more ice into those words you're going to make him into a walking ice shard.'_

 

Roderick looked like someone just slapped him across the face, which was highly amusing. “I am a suspect?!”

 

“You, and many others!”

 

“But not the prisoner?” He sneered in my direction which made me just want to punch him in the face.

 

“I heard the voices in the temple.” Taking a few steps towards Roderick, Cass looked like she was about to rip him a new one. “The Divine called to her for help.”

 

“So her survival, that THING on her hand... all a coincidence??”

 

“Providence, the Maker sent her to us in our hour of need.”

 

Rubbing my hand across my forehead in a soothing motion, trying to stem the headache that was quickly surfacing. I spoke in a very soft and quiet tone. “I'm no chosen one...I'm an elf… and apparently a mage...”

 

“No matter what, or who you are, you are exactly what we needed, when we needed it.” She said it with such passion that for a moment I almost believed her. Almost.

 

Leli spoke up suddenly “The breach is still in the sky, and your mark is the only hope we have of closing it for good.”

 

“This is not for you to decide!”

 

Cass suddenly slammed a book on to the table and I gracelessly let out a squeak. “You know what this is Chancellor. A writ from the Divine herself, granting us the authority to act. As of this moment, I declare the Inquisition reborn.” Cass stalked towards Roderick, forcing him back near the door. “We will close the breach. We will find those responsible. And we will restore order. With or without your approval.”

 

Roderick's view shifted from Cass to Leli then me, a frown graced his features and he turned and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

 

“Asshole.” I muttered under my breath.

 

“This is the Divines directive: rebuild the Inquisition of old, find those who will stand against the chaos.” Sighing Leli put her hands on the table bending over it slightly. “We aren't ready, we have no leader, no numbers….and now? No chantry support.”

 

“But we have no choice...We must act now, with you at our side.” Cass looked me in the eyes, I could almost feel the hope in her directed towards me.

 

“This is still all really strange… I'm not used to..” Waving my hands around the room I sighed. “All this..”

 

Cass turned to fully face me, she had a pleading look on her face. “Help us restore order...Help us fix this, before it is too late.” She held out her hand and after a brief hesitation, I grabbed her hand I shook it. This wasn't going to be a walk in the park.

 

After another few moments of talking and planning that mostly didn’t involve me directly, I made my way out of the Chantry. Once I passed through the doors again, I took a deep breath in and stared at the clouds passing slowly above.

 

_'So this is it, this is where it begins, even if this is all just a dream...I can’t let these people suffer. I guess it's time to make history.'_

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

I found myself in the tavern chasing a meal. The sour smell of people and alcohol was a little overwhelming. I mean it's not as if I was expecting anything other than this but it would have been nice if it didn't stink so badly. I really hated alcohol, and it's no surprise considering it was a drunk driver that caused my parent's death. Thinking about it even now sent a sharp pain through my heart.

 

It made me think about my sister, Lucy. If this was just a dream I would see her when I woke up, but if it wasn't.... I would never see her again. My eyes started to tear up and I quickly rubbed them away, shoving the thoughts to the back of my mind just in time for Varric to drop a bowl of some meaty looking soup and a glass of water in front of me. Looking up to him, I gave him a small smile and quick nod, and began to eat. To say I was starving was an understatement.

 

"So Sparky...how you holding up? I mean you go from being the top wanted criminal in all of Thedas to joining the army of the faithful... normally you would at least spread that out over more than one day."

 

Quickly looking up at him, he had a very concerned and unamused look etched into his face. "I...I don't know, Varric...I'm....I miss my sister." Moving the chunks of meat around in the bowl. I let out a sigh, I didn't want to give away too much information and yet at the same time I really didn't want to lie to him.

 

"You know, for days we've been watching the breach spit out maker knows what. 'Bad for morale’ would be an understatement...I still can't believe you were in there and survived."

 

"Honestly, I have no idea how I survived myself. Everything’s blurry and out of focus from before I woke up in the prison..." Rubbing a hand across my forehead I watched him out the corner of my eye. He looked pretty much like he did in the game to be honest, and oh my gods that chest hair. The game did not do it justice. I let out another soft sigh. "I still can't believe any of this is actually happening...that it's real." Whispering under my breath, I picked up the cup of water and took a drink from it to occupy my hands.

 

"I hope for everyone's sake that this isn't just some joke that the Maker is pulling on us, because if it is there better be a damn good punch line. You might want to run at the first chance you get. I've written enough tales to know how this is going to end, and it's definitely not going to end with the sun coming out and laughs."

 

"Ouch." I placed my hand over my heart and pulled a mocking face of shock. "You wound me Varric, giving me so little credit."

 

"Sparky, you can't even defend yourself, let alone save the world....never mind the fact that I don't even know if it's possible to save it this time..."

 

Losing all the humour from my face, I watched him stand up and pay for my food, giving me a reassuring smile that I'm sure didn't quite work, he left the tavern. I picked at the bowl for a bit until it was finished. Standing up I handed it over to the woman behind the bar and nodded my leave.

 

Stepping out into fresh air was nice. No more alcohol smell filling up my nostrils. I decided to explore Haven a little. The layout was pretty much the same if not a little bit bigger with a few added houses dotted around the place. For example instead of 3 houses where my one sat, there were five. Two on either side and one at the end in the middle. Everything was just a little more spread out too.

 

Curious, I decided it would be best to take a look outside the gates as well. I walked down the stairs towards the towering gate that opened to the outside world, and again with the damn stairs. Whoever thought it was a good idea to put stairs everywhere would find their head being thrown into the mouth of a dragon because this was too much. Walking past the gate the first thing I noticed was the open space. It was huge. The training field was still to the right but it was so much bigger. There were maybe 20 or 30 tents, and practice dummies lined the back of them. To be honest this looked more like it would hold a tiny army than the one in the game ever did.

 

I was so focused on my surroundings that I didn't see the soldier that was walking in my direction. My arm thumped into his armor covered one and I flinched, quickly pulling away and apologising. Before I could get the words out, he roughly grabbed my wrist and spun me back around towards him. There was fury in his eyes and it sent fear straight through me like a dagger.

 

"Hey knife-ear, what the hell do you think you're doing?!"

 

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't see you..." Looking to the left of his head I suppressed a shiver, gently trying to tug my wrist out of his hold, but that only caused him to tighten his grip.

 

"I don't care if you meant it or not knife-ear. Your type are a damn plague in Thedas!" He snarled, raising his hand to strike me. I cowered, flinching back for the blow, but a gauntleted hand grabbed his arm before it descended and a deep voice spoke harshly from behind him.

 

"Let. Her. Go. Now." The soldier quickly dropped my wrist and backed off with downright fear on his face. At a look from who I now recognized as Cullen, the man practically ran away. I watched him leave with relief, and then looked up to see Cullen watching me with a soft expression on his face. "Are you okay? Maker's breath, I'm sorry. Some people around here are a little....prejudiced." It was said with such a soft voice, almost like he was talking to a kitten that would run off at the slightest movement. Which was kind of how I felt. So, appropriate.

 

"Ye- yeah I'm fine... just a little pain in my wrist but nothing serious. Thank you." I softly smiled at him, meeting his eyes but quickly diverted them to a more interesting patch of snow to my left.

 

I heard him chuckling. He wished me a good day and strolled back to the training grounds. Sighing, I turned and walked away towards the woods. I was overwhelmed with everything and needed to get away from it all for just a moment. It was too much. With all that had happened, I never felt more alone. The encounter with the soldier had cut deeper than I had realized. It kept turning in my head. When I looked up again, I found myself behind the little hut where I knew I would find the notes for Adan. I curled up next to a rock in the snow, hidden from sight and let the tears flow down my cheeks. The stress of the last few days had finally caught up to me. The sudden change in scenery, missing my sister, being accused of things I didn't do, and getting thrown into a battle that I wanted nothing to do with. Then getting mocked as a knife-ear and almost getting beaten. It hit me like a dragon plowing into it's enemy, knocking me off my feet.

 

There was no one I could trust, no one to talk to about it all and even if there was, that would mean telling them that I was from another world. They would probably think I was crazy. I felt crazy. If I could get away with telling someone all of this without it having a risk of affecting the timeline, I would do it in a heartbeat. Because letting someone, anyone, know about this was better than keeping it locked up. I had never been very good at dealing with things on my own.

 

I probably sat there and cried for hours as the sun was suddenly setting, long shadows creeping through the trees around me. But I ignored them and the cold that was making me shiver. Eventually, I heard footsteps coming in my direction and I shook myself out of my thoughts. Rubbing my tear stained cheeks, I looked towards the path to see none other than Solas approaching. Curious as to why he was out here I spoke up "Wh-" Coughing as my voice broke a little from the crying I had done, I tried again "Why are you out here?"

 

"I could ask you the same thing." He tilted his head as he watched me, and folded his hands behind his back. "Are you alright?"

 

"No...I mean yes, I'm fine. I just..." I sighed, standing up finally and brushing off the snow. Luckily it was cold enough that my clothes weren't that wet so they would dry out in a bit. But my fingers were a little blue. Solas looked skeptically at me, slightly shaking his head.

 

"You are the Chosen of Andraste, a blessed hero sent to save us all." His voice was light and airy, obviously trying to lighten the melancholy mood.

 

I would usually reply with the shining steed comment in the game but I had no humor in me now. It was as if it was all sucked dry by the day’s events. Mumbling under my breath, I answered, "I'm no hero..."

 

He walked forward and gracefully sat on the rock I had been curled up next to. "I have seen much in my time. I have journeyed deep into the fade in ancient ruins and battlefields to see the dreams of lost civilizations. I have studied in ancient library halls. I dreamt at Ostagar and watched as King Cailan faced down an ogre, and the next a faithful ally turning their backs on the battle. I have even seen the wonders of Arlathan, even they had battles." Looking over at me a tiny smile graces his lips. "Every great war has it's heroes....I'm curious what kind you'll be."

 

It felt as if he truly believed I could do this and in a way it made me believe too, shaking some of my doubt. "But I'm just me...I'm no hero, Solas, and I never will be...I don't even know how to fight." Lowering my head I let out a sigh and plopped myself down on the rock next to him.

 

"Do not sell yourself short. You are much stronger than you think."

 

We sat in silence for a moment as I contemplated his words.

 

"You said you dreamed in ancient ruins....isn't that dangerous?" I kicked my feet against the rock and placed my hands in my lap. It was nice talking to Solas like this. It distracted me from my fear and loneliness.

 

"Yes, occasionally it can be quite dangerous, but it is mostly just sad to see what has been lost. The thrill of finding remnants of a thousand year old dream... I would not change that for anything." He looked away from me for a moment, almost as if he was contemplating something. "I will stay then.. at least for now."

 

_'Yeah...for now.'_ I couldn't help the tiny jab of pain that I felt in my chest. I had to keep reminding myself that this was Fen'Harel I was talking to. Of course he wouldn't stay.... but a girl could hope couldn't she? "Was that in doubt, Solas?"

 

"I am a mage, an apostate at that, surrounded by Chantry forces and unlike you, I do not have a divine mark upon my hand. Cassandra has been accommodating, but you understand my caution."

 

"Solas...you came here to help right? I won’t let them use that against you at all."

 

He turned to fully look at me and as much as I hated eye contact, I couldn't help but stare into his eyes. They were such a beautiful grey/blue colour and all the light freckles under his eyes just added to the look. He was so much more beautiful up close like this.

 

"How would you stop them?" If I hadn't been sitting so close I wouldn't have heard him speak at all.

 

With resolve, I steeled my face and voice, staring into his eyes to express my resolve. "However I had to." Somehow I felt that I would tear the world apart to stop them from taking him, and it scared me a little.

 

He let out a puff of air and turned away from me, releasing me from his gaze. He looked up towards the breach, "Let us hope that the mages or templars have the power to close the breach..."

 

We sat for a few moments in silence before he stood up, his bare feet crunching in the snow. He held out his hand to me. "Let us return to Haven. It is getting late and you will need all the rest you can get. If you are up for it I could start teaching you how to defend yourself tomorrow. The sooner the better."

 

I placed my hand in his and it was surprisingly soft. A lot softer than I thought it would be. He pulled me up off the rock and before I could hold it back I let out a little squeak. It had been my left wrist where the soldier had grabbed it and it was still very sore. Scrunching up his eyebrows he pulled my hand gently closer to him and pushed up my sleeve, revealing bruises that were shaped like fingers, and a hideous dark purple colour. Gently he prodded at my wrist, feeling for deeper damage, and I squirmed trying to pull my hand from his grasp, but he didn't budge.

 

"How did this happen?" His voice was sharp and he almost sounded angry.

 

"It...it's fine, Solas. I'm fine.."

 

"Is this..." Looking at me with sad eyes he rubbed his hand gently over the marks. I could feel magic flowing from him, tingling and soothing the pain. "Is this the reason you were upset earlier?"

 

"I...partially?"

 

"Partially? That tells me there is more to the story than just this."

 

"I miss my sister... and my home. I... I don't really want to talk about it." I directed my eyes to my feet, and I heard him sigh. Suddenly, I was wrapped in a hug with my head in the crook of his neck. I was completely shocked, as I hadn't expected him to show any form of affection at all. He was always so aloof and standoffish. I stayed very still, until I awkwardly embraced him back. We stood like that for a few moments before he pulled away. Turning towards Haven, he nodded for me to follow and I did. We walked in silence but it wasn't suffocating like it was with other people, it was nice.

 

Once we made it to the house that was now apparently mine, he nodded his goodbye and I watched him walk off. Stepping inside I shed the new clothes, leaving the under garments on and flopped into bed. It was as if the bed itself welcomed me home as I fell asleep.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

_**"Ugh, this is getting ridiculous." I grumbled as I lay there on my back in the dirt. I heard that Asspot snickering at me. Again. Pulling myself up off the ground I dusted my arms off and glared over at him. He looked back at me and smiled that huge cheesy smile that always seemed to say he knew he won.** _

 

_**"You just need more practice Tel! You're not going to learn all this in a week." He suddenly lunged for me again, twisting my arm behind my back and kicking behind my left leg, sending me to my knees. "Give up yet?" His blue eyes came into view as I took a deep breath. I wasn't going to have moment's like this on the battlefield, but I had to keep going. I had no choice. As much as I really did not want to fight, I was pretty much getting dragged in kicking and screaming.** _

 

_**"No way, I don't give up that easily!" Suddenly pushing my body forward I sent him toppling over my back, with my hands finally free I quickly sent him sprawling on the ground with well placed hit to the back of his legs, he looked up at me with pride in his eyes. This was the first time I had managed to get him on the ground and it made me really happy.** _

 

_**"You know...you might just make it out there Tel. Mythal is lucky to have you on her side." There was a sad look in his eyes and a little waver in his voice.** _

 

_**"Hey." I gently patted his shoulder to get his attention. "I'll be okay, you have to stay strong for the people around you okay?"** _

 

_**"How can I be strong when my best friend is being forced to fight? And you mean so much to everyone else too..." His blue eyes looked into mine and I felt bad for having to leave him but I really had no choice. Mythal needed me at her side and I couldn't turn away.** _

 

_**It went against everything I believed to fight in this battle and I was scared.** _

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

The chantry door swung closed behind me as I took a deep breath of fresh air. I had little to no time to contemplate the dream from the night before as I was dragged to the chantry almost the second I had woken up. I was cooped up in the war room for a few hours meeting the advisors and talking about plans of going to the Hinterlands to meet with Mother Giselle which I wasn't looking forward to. Not only would I have to deal with more chantry people but I would be standing in the middle of a mage/templar battlefield.

 

Luckily, Cass said we would have a week before we had to move out, which would give me enough time to at least learn some form of defence. I had been absently walking around Haven and before I knew it I was standing outside of Solas' door. Raising my hand to knock, the door swung open before I could to reveal a very amused looking bald egg. I lowered my hand and flushed a little. I had no doubt that he knew I had been hovering around here for the past few minutes.

 

"Are you ready to start your lesson's Da'len?"

 

My head bolted up and a smile spread across my face. "Yes!" Okay, maybe I was a little too eager to spend some time with him but honestly who could blame me.

 

He smiled in return, grabbing his staff from where it leaned against the wall and closed the door on the way out. Not so subtly, he took lead and directed us to Harritt just outside the gate who was mumbling something about stupid apprentices screwing up the sword hilts. He saw us approach and nodded at Solas, and without speaking turned around and he went to a box at the back of the forge which looked like it held a variety of weapons. Pulling out a very basic staff, dagger and gear belt he handed them over to Solas.

 

We walked back towards the gates but kept going, past the training grounds and around to a giant open space over the other side of the lake. I had never really looked around here in the game. Only when I needed to get the logging stand but apart from that I never paid this area much attention. It was wide and spacious with little clusters of trees around the clearing. Solas turned to me, placing the staff and dagger on the ground he directed me to turn around. Putting the gear belt in front of my face, I noticed it had some long straps at the front which looked like they clipped on over your shoulder. He put the belt around my waist, clipping it into place and brought the two long straps up, crossing them over each other at the front pulling them over my shoulders he crossed them back over at my back clipping the bottom ends into the belt.

 

Picking up the staff he placed it on my back between the straps and it surprisingly felt very strong, like it could hold a sword or something without it falling off.

 

"It is a basic item belt but it will serve it's purpose. Be sure when you are putting it on that you place the straps the same way I have, otherwise it will not be able to hold your staff or dagger." He slipped the dagger on my belt at the back and took a step away from me. I hadn't even realized how close we were at the time. "We will work on your physical defence first, basic blocking techniques with your arms and legs. Then we will move onto some basic hand to hand combat."

 

"Hand to hand combat?"

 

"Yes, you may never know when you will need it, it could be very useful if you find yourself unarmed, Herald."

 

"Please don't call me that, Solas. My name is Telahn, not 'Herald'" A slight scowl surfaced on my face but I quickly hid it, directing my face to my feet and letting my hair fall over my face. I hadn't tied it up today which in hindsight I probably should have.

 

"I am sorry... I did not mean to upset you. If your wish is for me to call you by your name then I shall."

 

We started the training like he said with basic blocking techniques and moved onto some hand to hand combat. I had landed on my ass more times than I could count. Time itself just felt like it had slipped away from me. Solas had tried to get me to try casting magic more than once but I kept saying that I wasn't ready yet.

 

Somehow, some way he had convinced me to try casting a basic fire spell and as my luck would have it a goddamn druffalo had crossed my path just as I let the spell fly. It hit the druffalo in the side of it's face and it slowly turned to face me. If looks could kill...well. It huffed and stamped its feet, fully turning in our direction. I only had a moment to realize what was happening before I had a druffalo charging towards me at full speed. Somehow I had managed to dodge the initial charge with a shriek, and I quickly took off running faster than I had thought possible with a druffalo charging after me. And that goddamn freaken egg was just standing there with a giant smile on his face.

 

It took about half an hour of me running and hiding before it gave up it's chase. Slowly emerging from a tree I had managed to climb, I landed on the ground. "Thank the Dread Wolf, it finally gave up." I could hear Solas chuckling behind me. Swinging my body around towards him with fury in my eyes, I was about to rip him a new one for not helping but the smile on his face melted away my anger instantly.

 

"Come Telahn, I think we ought to return for the night. It is getting late." He turned his back to me and slowly started making his way back to Haven. I stumbled after him, trying to catch up, eventually falling into line next to him.

 

This was getting insane. I was getting insane. But if I kept at the training I might just be able to pull through without kicking the bucket and that was all I wanted at this point.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to draw your own art, i appreciate any that's done :3
> 
> Make sure if you post any art on tumblr to tag me in it so i see it! :D
> 
> And on a side note here's a link to my tumblr : http://selaiie.tumblr.com/


	3. Conflict At The Crossroads

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY just wanted to let everyone know that there's going to be a pretty big break between chapters, i wanted to work on my writing skills but i feel like letting you guys suffer through the learning curves is a bit too brutal, also i have a few things coming up with life and all so i wont have much time to work on chapters in general for a bit :C
> 
> \-----------------------------------------
> 
> Bold italics are dreams and or visions  
> Italics are thoughts or someone speaking elven
> 
> Thanks to my beta: thehidden1 - http://the-hidden-1.tumblr.com/ she's an awesome fluff ball so go give her some love :3
> 
> Anyway, i would also like to say that this will be following canon closely but it will curve off at points and then back again.

The sounds of birds chirping slowly filtered into my awareness, along with the warmth of being snuggled under the covers. I slowly stretched out like a cat in the sun and yawned while blinking open my eyes to the sight of the wooden peaked roof. I was never going to get used to that.

 

I dragged myself out of bed to begin preparing myself for the day. Luckily, today was going to be a pretty slow day, although we were heading for the Hinterlands tomorrow. Packing could wait until later as I had a final lesson on defence after lunch with Solas. I spotted a bucket of hot water near the fire with a cloth hanging over the lip of it. Stripping out of my sleepwear, I picked up the cloth soaking it in the water and began to wipe away days of sweat and grime. I was already desperately missing hot showers and I hadn't even been here two weeks yet.

 

After having cleaned myself as best as possible, I looked around for the little jar with the elfroot paste. Seeing it on the desk, I picked it up and grabbed the brush next to it. I stuck my pinky into the little jar and rubbed some of the paste onto the brush, proceeding to clean my teeth. Finally having gotten cleaned and dressed, I was ready for the day.

 

Leaving my little cabin, I headed towards the tavern. As much as I hated the smell around there, I had to eat. As the door swung open, the smell of alcohol nearly knocked me off my feet. Even this early the smell was strong as I’m sure the ale had soaked into each piece of furniture and likely the floor along with the frequent patrons. I took a few steps in the room before I was practically ambushed by a very hyper, definitely teenage, male elf, sporting a grin a mile wide. I stumbled back a little, trying to keep him out of my personal bubble but he kept stepping closer to me.

 

“Hey, you're the Herald right?!” Silently overwhelmed, I just nodded my head. This kid was way too hyper this early in the morning. “And a Dalish at that?!” Nodding again with bewilderment, I continued to back up until he pretty much had me up against the wall trying to avoid him. He had a spark in his eye that I couldn't quite put an emotion to. Luckily that's when Varric appeared out of practically thin air, saving my ass from the overenthusiastic elf-teen.

 

“Hey Sparky! Come have some breakfast!” I nodded my apologies to the elf, and quickly slid around him. I walked over to where Varric had laid claim to a table in the corner and thumped down on the open chair. He waved his hand to the barkeeper, signaling her with a wave and a wink to bring some food over. She laughed when she dropped this mornings food for the masses in front of us and returned the wink flirtatiously. Varric chuckled right back, and pulled a deck of well used cards out of his jacket pocket. 

 

“So, Sparky, want to learn a bit of Wicked Grace?”

 

A small smile crossed my face as I nodded. While we ate our breakfast he gave me a rundown of the rules. It was, as a lot of fanfics described, a lot like poker, but just different enough to be confusing. I could understand it alright but it just didn't seem to be sticking very well. There were too many variables. Varric laughed at me often during our game, and told me I was a terrible liar. Considering the secret I was hiding, well, that posed some problems for me. I was way too easy to read, like an open book on a pedestal with a light on it.

 

Once our food was finished, we chatted for a while before I bid him farewell. I really needed to get some gold to pay him back. He kept paying for my food, though he never protested or mentioned anything. I slipped out into the cold morning, and as I walked around Haven I couldn't help but be pulled back into my thoughts. I was feeling the pressure of my secret already and with no one to talk to… I was beginning to feel desperate. I had always had my sister to go to if we were troubled. Now there was no one. Not really. My footsteps were slow as I moved along, sighing with my plummeting mood. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a kid sitting on one of the inner walls, swinging his legs and kicking the stone. He was hunched over a small box  in his lap with what looked like paper on it, a quill clenched in his fingers and his tongue caught between his teeth in focus. He was writing, or maybe drawing. A spark of an idea suddenly filtered into my head. A diary. I could at least organize my thoughts that way, even if I couldn’t share them. I turned back and made my way to the forge, the only location I could think of for something like this. I asked Harritt if he could make me a blank book to write in, and he grudgingly agreed to do so. I perched on the little half wall by the forge, waiting, when I saw Leli approaching. 

 

“Hey Lelianna, anything you needed from me?” I jumped off the wall, the snow crunching underfoot as I landed.

 

“I wanted to ask you a question.” He eyes were sharp, watching me, but her tone was polite. “You said your clan name was Fenmyelan, but there is no such clan by that name, there never has been according to Clan Lavellan. Why did you lie?” She tilted her head slightly, studying me.

 

I knew I would have been made sooner or later on this, I guess now was as good a time as any. “It… It's complicated, my clan were followers of the Dread Wolf, Fen'harel. We were shunned, discarded and forgotten. It's no wonder you never got anything out of them, they down right refused to acknowledge that we existed, and in turn we avoided them as much as possible.” 

 

Her eyes shifted past my shoulder onto something behind me. Looking around I saw Harritt approaching us and looked skeptically between us, probably wondering at the tense atmosphere. He shrugged when no explanation was forthcoming and tossed a little leather bound book at me.

 

“Here, make sure not to throw it about.” He said gruffly and promptly turned and walked away, back to the forge.

 

I mumbled my thanks to his back but I wasn't sure if he even heard me. Leli also turned after a moment and left, and I scuttled off to my cabin, placing my diary inside. I would probably write in it before I went to sleep tonight. I quickly grabbed my shoulder and leg guards, attaching them with little fumbling, and awkwardly managed to get the gear belt on me, slipping the dagger into the back along with the staff. I picked up the little hand mirror and studied my reflection. My hair was a mess. With a sigh, I grabbed the leather strap I used as a hair tie and tied it back again. I headed out towards the clearing Solas had taken me to over the past few days. I liked spending time out there as it was quiet and peaceful. Except for the druffalos. They apparently still haven't forgiven me from the last scuffle we had.

 

I walked in circles around the clearing as I waited, kicking up small flurries of snow as I went. I had unconsciously adopted Solas' stance with my hands behind my back and my thoughts directed inward. I hadn't heard any approach, and I nearly jumped out of my skin when he coughed.

 

“You appeared to be in your own little world. I did not want to disturb you, but we have another lesson before we leave tomorrow, do we not?” A slight smile played on his lips, cocky bastard.

 

“Yeah, sorry. I'm a little worried about tomorrow… what if we run into trouble?” I swept my hand over my hair, shoving loose strands out of my eyes.

 

“Do not concern yourself with those thoughts, Telahn. Plus there will be Cassandra, Varric and I accompanying you. We will protect you.” He suddenly kicked his foot under me, knocking me off balance and I landed in an ungraceful heap in the snow. “You need to stay alert. You do not want the enemy to catch you unexpectedly.”

 

I climbed to my feet, huffing and dusting the snow off me. There really wasn't a point though. I knew I would have a face full of snow again at some point. We went back and forth for a bit, him knocking me off my feet, and me trying to dodge or strike back, but failing every time.

 

We went back and forth like this for a while. He wasn’t gentle either. He used hard, fast and precise strikes. I tried replicating them but I was having difficulty with my flexibility. It appeared that me being a bit unfit traveled to this world too. I had always been a bit slow when it came to exercise and the like, tending to steer towards reading a book, over taking a morning jog.

 

Solas sighed, shaking his head “I think it is time we retire for the night, Talehn. You are exhausted and we have a long trek to the Hinterlands tomorrow.” He slowly turned around beginning to head back to Haven. Now was my chance. It had nothing to do with revenge for getting dumped on my ass so many times that day, I swear. I sprung up, quicker than I thought I could, and kicked the back of his leg, it sent him off balance as he stumbled forward slightly, but he quickly recovered before I could hit his second one, swinging round towards me, he grabbed the bottom of my leg, pulling it from underneath me sending me to the ground once again. 

 

“Better, but you made too much noise. If I had not heard you, you may just have succeeded.” Holding out his hand for me to grab, there was a slight smile on his face. I was getting way too used to seeing it there, and it always caused fluttering in my stomach. I took the hand he offered, pulling me to my feet. I suppressed a flinch at the pain in my leg where he had grabbed me. At this point though, I felt like I was more bruises than person, so I didn’t say anything. I brushed the snow off and took a few steps forward, before I stumbled over my shaking leg and nearly fell. Solas managed to catch my arm and tug me towards him to help me keep my balance, but now he had a frown etched into his face. I stilled in his grasp. “I may have grabbed your leg too hard, I apologise.” I felt his magic flare a bit and begin to soothe not only my shaking leg, but also the bruises and scrapes I had received throughout the day.

 

I was vastly aware of how close he had pulled me to support me, our bodies were almost touching. His left hand was at my waist, while the right one was on my shoulder. I blinked at a fading bruise on my wrist and then looked up into his face. The frown was all but gone, and he was watching me with intensity that belied the situation. I noticed his gaze shift down to my lips for just a second, and then back to my eyes. I felt the butterflies flutter around even faster, my heart pounding in my chest, but the moment was broken as he looked away, turning around muttering in unintelligible elvhen, he sighed.

 

“Let us get back, before it gets too dark to see anything.”

 

I almost scoffed at his excuse for escape. We were elves. We have excellent night vision. But I had the feeling that wasn’t really his reason for wanting to go back. We wandered through Haven, my mind still in that moment. Had I just imagined it? Before I realized, he had walked me to my door and suddenly I was inside, alone with my thoughts. I absently started to pack my things, throwing in the spare outfits that had been brought to me over the week, along with all the bit's and bobs I thought I might need. I didn't have much to my name, but there wasn't much I could do until we got to the Hinterlands, and I could start searching around.

 

After everything I could think of had been packed, I sat down with my new diary in front of the tiny fireplace, and begun to write. Immediately I noticed it wasn't in Common, or English for that matter, it was automatic in the way I wrote, as if it were muscle memory. Reading back, I noticed I could understand it too, and I started to see parallels between what I was writing, and words I clearly knew to be Elven. It slightly unnerved me, that I appeared to be writing in a language that I only knew a little of from the game. The plus side was that anyone who wasn't Solas wouldn't be able to understand it.

 

I sat for roughly what I assumed was half an hour, in front of the fireplace, writing out my thoughts, and stresses. Jotting down notes of the future that I wanted to remember and concerning things I hoped to change. It was eerie to watch myself write. It was so elegant and free flowing. A lot nicer than the handwriting I remember. But I wasn't complaining. I pulled myself up off the floor, put the diary in my pack with the rest of my stuff, and setting it at the foot of the bed. Stripping out of my gear I flopped down onto the bed, letting sleep take me.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

 

I jerked awake to the sound of pounding on my door, and to be honest, it wasn't really the best way to wake up. Yawning, I sat up on the edge of the bed, just as Cass busted in, not even caring that I was just in my small clothes. She looked around the room for a moment, grabbing this and that and shoving them into a bag that was in her hands, she dumped the bag next to mine and threw my clothes at me.

 

“Get dressed, we have to get moving soon.” She turned on her heel, slamming the door behind her. Flinching, I mumbled under my breath about it being too early for this shit, but I stood up and groggily managed to get into my gear, and grabbed the bags. I slipped out into the cold, holding back a shiver, and closed the door behind me a lot less violently that Cass had. Making my way down to the gates, she was waiting there with the advisors, Solas and Varric. Both of which looked like walking zombies. I could tell neither of them were morning people either.

 

I sighed, moving the backpack's strap back up my arm.This was going to be a long trip without horses. We checked through our supplies one more time, and went over our objective again, before heading out, towards the Hinterlands.

 

It was awkward for the first few hours, having nothing to talk about.  It caused this awkward silence to spread within the group. After a while Cass started to chat with Varric, but I honestly wasn't paying much attention to their banter. I was more interesting in the scenery. This was part of the game we never got to see, the traveling, the little details that would be usually overlooked in the interest of time. Before I knew it, the sun was setting and we made camp in a tiny clearing off the road. I tried to help set up but I mostly just got in the way.

 

Cass was setting up the tents with Varric, and Solas was setting ward's around the place. I gave myself the duty of setting up the fire. Looking around I spotted two huge logs that were a little into the tree line. I sluggishly made my way over and began to drag them back to camp. They were pretty heavy but nothing I couldn't handle. Once they were in place, I grabbed some branches and stones, setting up a little fire pit. Once I felt confident about it, I reached for my new found magic and just let a tiny spark of it dance over my fingers. The dry wood caught quickly and the fire was crackling cheerfully in no time.

 

Once the tents were set up, Cass slumped down on the log next to me, letting out a huff of air.  She peeled her sword belt from her hip, and leaned the blade against the log next to her. I shifted my eyes to the side, not wanting to appear as if I was staring at her, she fiddled with her gauntlets for a few moments before peeling them off, placing them on the log between us.

 

“So, Herald. I was wondering something, if you do not mind me asking.” She turned her body half towards me, looking into my face for answers to a question not yet spoken.

 

“Sure, I don't mind. Ask away.”

 

“What… what is it like? Living as a Dalish?”

 

“Well...it's nothing like living in a city. We travel in numbers for safety, but not too many otherwise it would become a problem. Everyone tends to know everyone else and friendship is a natural part of being in a clan. Although there is the occasional asshat but that can't really be helped.” I sighed, I didn't actually know what it was like living in a clan, so I had to spin it as I went. “Mostly, it's just like having a very huge extended family. There's a lot of travelling too, and people tend to be assigned to specific jobs based on their skills.”

 

“May I ask what your job was?”

 

“I mostly just tended to the halla and wolves.”

 

“You had wolves with your clan? I find it strange that you would have wolves...considering.”

 

“That was mostly the point. Our clan was different. We're followers of the wolf, and wolves tended to be attracted to us. It only made sense we kept them with us, they helped when the clan was in trouble too.” I smiled, remembering my friend's husky back home, she was a lovable dog. Just another thing to add to the growing pile named 'I miss this, but I'll never see it again', the thought made me dizzy for a second, Cass let the subject drop for now.

 

After we had eaten I excused myself, getting into my tent and stripping out of my armour, getting into the sleeping bag. I rubbed my hand over my eyes and let sleep take me, hopefully this trek wasn't going to be too long.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

We reached the Hinterlands forward camp in a week or so, and I admit it was nice to finally arrive. One of the first things we needed to do was to find Dennett for the horses. I was not making that trip on foot again. Harding notified us about the conflict at the Crossroads and after about an hour we set off, it was best to get Crossroads “on the map”, as it were, as soon as possible.

 

The path down was filled with rocks and some overgrown tree roots making it somewhat treacherous footing. As we got closer I could hear fighting. I had totally forgotten about that before, only being reminded by Harding’s warning. Pulling my staff from my back, the others followed suit, as we all hurried the rest of the way. Coming out from behind the rocks, I felt a wave of nausea hit me, the smell of burnt flesh filled the air, likely caused by the mages.

 

Cass charged into battle, swinging her sword at anything that came near her. Varric had taken up position on a rock for height advantage, firing off his bolt's into unsuspecting enemies. I was next to Solas, who had us in a barrier. Occasionally I would throw an odd fireball at mages or templars that got too close, it had been the only spell I had learned, although limited to it, it did do quite a bit of damage.

 

Out the corner of my eye, I saw a templar stalk towards me. He swung at me with his sword, but I quickly blocked it with my staff. I was extremely thankful in that moment that Solas had taught me defence. I shoved back against the templar, throwing him off balance with force. Quickly he recovered, coming at me again but I rolled out the way, pulling out my dagger. Without really thinking about it, I assessed his armour, looking for a break in it, a weak spot. As I spotted one at his side, I lunged towards him, ducking his sword again, and the dagger sank into his flesh. I heard his grunt of pain as I pulled back and he attempted to swing at me again. He was a little more sluggish than before. I backed up against a tree, quietly hoping that it would work like in the movies. I ducked as he swung his sword sideways, getting it stuck in the tree. Swiftly, without thought, I plunged the dagger into his throat. He yanked back from me and my dagger, his hands going to cup his throat as he fell to his knees, slumping forward. A few gurgling sounds and a lot of blood later, he was dead. I stared vacantly at his body… I had just killed another human.

 

Feeling a hand touch my shoulder, I flinched back from the touch, quickly spinning around. I raised my dagger in front of me, only to be faced with a very worried Cass and Solas watching me. I slowly lowered the dagger and dropped it. My hands were shaking violently.

 

“I...oh my god, I killed him...I killed...” A quiet squeak surfaced from my throat, as the tears streamed down my cheeks. Cass stepped forward slowly and placed her hand on my shoulder again. She silently guided me to the stone steps, pushing me down as Solas knelt in front of me, checking me over for injuries. When he found none, he sighed. Sitting next to me on the steps, he put his arm over my shoulder, and pulled me into a half hug.

 

I don't know how much time had passed, but when I looked up the light was fading, and the shaking in my hands had stopped. Raising my head from Solas' shoulder I sighed, looking around. Varric and Cass looked like they were busy helping out the refugees. Solas rubbed my shoulder and gave me a soft smile. I tried to smile back but I’m sure it came out more as a grimace than anything. He stood up and went to help out Cass as she was tending to an injured refugee.

 

Just as I slowly stood up and dusted myself off, someone who I assumed to be Mother Giselle approached me.

 

“I did not want to interrupt your grieving. It must have been difficult to face killing someone for the first time. Not to mention, the other elf that was sitting with you would have killed anyone who attempted to talk to you. He gave his fair share of glares to anyone who even so much as looked towards you.” She had a slight smile on her face and I couldn't help but let out a breath of a laugh, a small genuine smile surfaced on my face.

 

“You must be Mother Giselle.”

 

“Yes, and you must be the one they are calling the Herald of Andraste.”

 

“Not by my choice, but yes. That’s what they're calling me.”

 

“We rarely have much choice in our fate.”

 

“Yeah…. What did you need from me?”

 

“I know of the Chantry's denouncement, and I happen to be familiar with those who are behind it. I will not lie, some of them are grandstanding, hoping to increase their chances of becoming the new Divine. Some however, are simply terrified, lives senselessly taken from us.”

 

“What happened…I.. it was horrible… if I could have prevented it I would have.”

 

“I do not doubt that Herald, it is clear that you care for people's lives, even if they are the enemy. But fear makes people desperate. Go to them in Val Royeaux, convince the remaining clerics that you are no demon to be feared. They have only heard frightful tales of you, give them another tale to believe.”

 

“Where would I even start with that? I'm just me.. a Dalish elf who happened to be thrown into a bad situation.”

 

“You do not need to convince them all, you just need to cause doubt, and the rest will do the work.”

 

“I.. thank you Mother Giselle.”

 

“I honestly do not know if you truly are the Herald of Andraste...but I hope, and sometimes hope is all one needs. I will go to Haven, and provide Sister Leliana with a list of people who will be amenable to a gathering. It is not much, but I will help where I can.”

 

I let out a sigh as she walked off. Cass approached me, with Varric and Solas trailing after her like puppies. Oh the irony of calling Solas a puppy. I tried to suppress a snort at the thought but if the dirty look Cass gave me was an indication, I’d say I failed to hold it in. We headed back to the forward camp for the night and I skipped supper. I’m pretty sure if I were to eat anything I'd probably just throw it back up. Sleep took me instantly and I fell into the dreamless darkness that only exhaustion can give.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

 

I heard people moving around camp as I slowly opened my eyes. Looking to my left I expected to see Cass, but I did not expect to see Solas, sitting up reading a book. In my tent.

 

“Ah, good morning Telahn, did you sleep well?” He closed his book and set it to the side as I blinked owlishly at him.

 

“I thought Cassandra was sharing the tent with me?”

 

“Originally yes, but she thought it best I share with you. I cast a spell to keep the dreams away. I did not want you to have… nightmares. But the spell requires close proximity.”

 

I sighed, sitting up and rubbing my eyes. _‘Great, they're worrying over me now.'_ I must have showed some of my thoughts on my face, as Solas sighed and looked at me seriously.

 

“We are only worried about you da'len. Killing someone for the first time... it is hard.” He sighed, rubbing his forehead like he was driving away a headache.

 

Standing up in the small space, I bent over and dug around in my backpack for a fresh undershirt and pants. Pulling off the dirty one, I slipped the clean one over my head, and quickly pulled the dirty set of pants and climbed into the new ones.

 

“Are all Dalish as free about changing their clothes in the company of another?” I turned to face him and he had a smirk on his face, his eyes clearly trailing down my body. My face turned red and I quickly spun around, deciding not to answer. In truth, I hadn’t thought about it. I picked up my armour and begun to don it, ignoring the heat in my face, I picked up my staff and quickly left the tent.

 

After breakfast, we headed back to the crossroads, going in the direction of Dennett. We would have to pass the mages and templars, so may as well deal with them now. We passed under a tunnel of sorts, coming out the other end to dead bodies, burnt down buildings and charred grass. I tried not to think much about it and almost instantly swung a right, heading towards the mage hideout. If the ice shards poking out the ground were any indication, we were getting closer to the mages. I wasn't looking forward to having to be faced with possibly killing someone again.

 

We eventually came to the cave entrance where the mages were holed up. There were several of them outside patrolling, but they were quickly dispatched by Varric with a few well aimed shots from Bianca. I walked up to the barrier and poked it and it sent a tiny wave of ice up my arm.

 

“Shit...” I shook my hand trying to dislodge the feeling.

 

“Here, let me take it down.” Solas stepped in front of me, placing his hands just over the barrier, as heat emanated from his hands, melting the barrier down. The second he did a bolt of electricity whizzed by his face, and we were shoved into yet another fight. It was a difficult one as they were all mages flinging fire and lightning and ice, but after a while they were just bodies, littered around the cave. I quickly ran outside and threw up.

 

“Ugh... I'm never going to get used to that.”

 

“Most likely not Sparky. Neither am I, but you learn to shove it down.” Varric patted my back as he walked by, with a slightly sad look on his face.

 

We continued on towards our destination, picking off groups of templars and mages along the way. Somehow we ended up finding a shortcut that bypassed the templars hideout entirely, while I was glad we wouldn't have to fight them now, it was only delaying the inevitable.

 

As we reached the farms where we would find Dennet, 2 huge wolves ambushed us, but were quickly killed. They had been rabid and sickly, and I was happy they were swiftly dead.

 

“These wolves are not a normal size...”

 

“No Sparky, you don't say.”

 

I glared at Varric from over my shoulder but he just smiled at me. We moved into the little farming area, passing a few abandoned houses on the way, and a few with wary eyes watching us from windows. Finally, we reached Dennett's place and I knocked on the door a few times.

 

“Come in!”

 

We stepped through the door into a spacious house. It looked big in the game but it was even bigger here. Though from my experience so far, that seemed to be the case with most things.

 

“So, you're the Inquisition, eh? I heard you're trying to restore order to this crap. High time someone got off their ass and did it. Didn't think it would be one of you though...” Dennett's voice was gruff and his looks all but screamed farmer.

 

“Yeah, we're the Inquisition… and what do you mean by 'one of you' ?” I glared at him, I knew what he meant but after the run in with that soldier when I first arrived in Haven, I had been uneasy with those kinds of comments. I know he didn't mean any harm by it though because of what he says in the game. Still, it made me defensive.

 

“I just meant...you're an elf. I didn't expect an elf. Name's Dennett. I’m the best damn horse master around. I served Arl Eamon for years. I hear your Inquisition is looking to get your hands on some mounts.”

 

“Yes, that’s right. Can you help?”

 

“No, not right this moment. I can’t just send a hundred of the finest horses down the road, like you'd send a bloody letter. Every bandit between here and Haven would be on them like wolves on a carcass… speaking of wolves. We have an issue here that needs attending to, if you speak to my wife Elaina, she manages the farms, and while you're at it, talk to Bron, he's in charge of my guards.”

 

“Alright, we'll see to the issues you're having right away.”

 

“One more thing, you guys are going to need better than whatever nug humping fur they gave you. As a goodwill offering, there are 4 Chestnut purebred Fereldan Forders outside in the barn. Take care of them and they'll take care of you.”

 

We nodded our thanks and left the house. Once we were out, I led the group to the stables, taking the 4 horses he said we could have. It was better than nothing. Leading the horses down by the river, we set up camp for the day. Idly sitting around the fire, Varric passed stories around, which brightened my day up considerably. It was nice to just sit back and enjoy a good story once in awhile, without thinking about how I was living in one.

 

Just as the Inquisition scouts got to camp, darkness was starting to fall around us, the stories slowed down, eventually dying out as Varric went to bed. I sat and stared into the fire for a while before heading to sleep myself. Finding Solas in my tent again was really no surprise, so I stripped out of my armour and slipped easily into sleep once more.

 

Tomorrow we would tackle the wolves and templars, something I wasn't really looking forward to.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you guys think of this chapter? any feedback is welcome :3
> 
> Ooooh boy, it took me a few days to get over a bump with this chapter, but everything worked out in the end. :D

**Author's Note:**

> Here's a picture of Kara that i had drawn - http://selaiie.tumblr.com/post/138321240674/i-was-supposed-to-be-writing-but-i-ended-up
> 
> Feel free to draw your own art, i appreciate any that's done :3
> 
> And on a side note here's a link to my tumblr : http://selaiie.tumblr.com/


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